Zubey takes St. Mary's football job

by Richard Obert - Apr. 11, 2008 12:51 PMThe Arizona Republic

Mesa Westwood's Eddy Zubey, who turned down Phoenix St. Mary's this winter when the school courted him for the football coaching position, accepted the job when it became open again this week, Mesa Westwood Athletic Director Thad Gates confirmed Friday.

When contacted Friday, Zubey said he had yet to officially become the St. Mary's coach. St. Mary's was closed Friday for the funeral services of a student who recently died in a car accident.

"Nothing has been offered," Zubey said Friday morning. "I have been contacted. They called about the possibility of the job opening and if I would be interested. I said I would."

Gates said that he and Zubey met with Westwood players Thursday and Zubey told them that he was leaving to take the St. Mary's job.

Gates said that the Westwood coaching vacancy will be posted through April 18 and he hopes to have somebody hired in May.

Gates said that St. Mary's offered a financial deal that was better than what he would make at Westwood and that he would be leaving Westwood as a teacher, as well.

Zubey will replace Stuart Goldstein, who was hired in February to replace legendary coach Pat Farrell. But a sequence of events in the past week led to Goldstein leaving both North, where he taught health and physical education, and St. Mary's as football coach.

St. Mary's Principal Mark Mauro and Athletic Director Ric Moreno did not return messaged left by The Republic.

Goldstein also did not return messages Friday. When a rumor circulated earlier in the week that Goldstein resigned at St. Mary's, Goldstein denied that, saying he had a strong relationship with the principal and that he was looking forward to coaching St. Mary's next season after trying to resolve his back pain issues.

Goldstein turned around Phoenix Carl Hayden, Scottsdale Saguaro and North during short tenures at each school, before resigning as football coach at North two years ago.

In two seasons at Westwood, Zubey was 10-13. The Warriors were 3-7 in 2006 and 7-6 last season, losing to Chandler Hamilton 21-14 in the first round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs.